Stephanie Padgett flashed a wide grin as her name was called for a door prize during intermission of the “Speaking Louder Than Before Tour” Feb. 12 at Graceland Baptist Church in New Albany.
Padgette's eyes were full of anticipation as “Wally” the host of WAY FM's “Total Access” asked her if she was ready to see what she had won.
She nodded and out-walked her boyfriend of seven months, Shawn Scott.
Scott is a Salem resident who had been planning the surprise engagement for about three months.
He said he initially wanted to do it in front of a room full of women at Northside Christian Church's Christmas Tea event, but didn't want to take the focus off the event.

The Planet Dance Allstar's returned from the 2010 National Dance Team Championship (NDTC) as 2010 National Champions! The competition took place February 5 through 7 at the Walt Disney World Resort® in Orlando, Florida. The NDTC is the only national-level dance team championship that is endorsed by the National Federation of State High School Associations, the national service and administrative organization for high school athletics and fine arts programs in speech, debate, theater, and music.
Approximately 300 high school and all star dance teams made the cut and competed at the National Dance Team Championship. Dance teams compete in divisions based on team size and grade/age level and have the option to enter 2 of the following categories: jazz, hip hop, pom, and high kick. The Junior Allstars coached by Shannon Bramer placed first in pom and won an all paid bid to the International Competition. The Youth Allstars coached by Ali Riechel-Willians placed second in the pom category and 5th in the hip hop category. The Planet Dance Senior Allstars coached by Sheryl Knight placed fourth in the pom category. All teams are under the direction of Todd Sharp.
Planet Dance Allstars is located in Georgetown and has a student base from Floyd, Clark, Harrison counties in Indiana as well as Jefferson county in Kentucky. Dancers range from age 3 years to 18 years. Registration and sign-ups for the 2010-2011 season will take place on March 13 and 14, 2010. For more information, please submit questions to
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.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 February 2010 15:57

A new way to track student growth in Indiana

Written by Administrator

Tuesday, 16 February 2010 00:00

In an era when high-stakes accountability is at the forefront of education, often schools are judged on which students are proficient and which are not, leaving the measurement of student growth out of the equation completely.
But with the recent submission of Fast Forward, Indiana’s Race to the Top plan, Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett proudly announced recently the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE) creation of the Indiana Growth Model.
The model, detailed within the Fast Forward plan, will allow Indiana schools to keep score on student progress and provide meaningful data to drive curriculum and classroom instruction. After two years of study, Indiana has identified the Student Growth Percentile method as the best option for Indiana’s students, parents and schools.
“This model has been a long time coming for this state and our schools. We owe Dr. Suellen Reed many thanks for her initial work on this project,” Bennett said. “For the first time, measuring growth will allow us to focus on the outputs of education, and we will be able to see how much progress students around Indiana make, not just how many more students pass the test.”

On March 18, nearly 500 business owners and 100 exhibitors will gather at Horseshoe Southern Indiana for the 11th annual Minority & Women Business Owners Conference sponsored by One Southern Indiana. Attendees are expected to arrive from throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Unlike any event in this region, the conference is open to all business owners and targets certified, disadvantaged, and veteran-owned entities as well as those seeking to do business with these certified business groups. Business owners interested in learning more about becoming certified by an accrediting agency are also encouraged to attend.
The conference features a full range of conference activity beginning at 8 a.m. Registration includes breakfast, lunch, exhibitors, and a selection of six workshops including social networking, strategic planning, leadership, branding and marketing, wellness and stress relief, and sales success.

A Pekin man was arrested and two other suspects are on the lose following a high speed chase Feb. 10 in Harrison County.
According to a news release from the Indiana State Police, a trooper patrolling State Road 135 near Corydon attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a gold 1996 Ford Ranger for unsafe lane movement.